Following reports in the Sunday Business Post, Sinn Fein's
General Election Candidate Cllr. Joe Reilly has called on the
Minister for the Department of the Environment and Local
Government (DOELG) to rescind his decision to appoint his
brothers business partner to the board of National Roads
Authority as the proposed appointee's business could be the cause
of a ``conflict of interest''.

He said: ``The proposed appointment of Mr. Raymond Potterton to
the National Roads Authority (NRA) should be withdrawn as Mr
Pottertons and Mr. Dempseys firm will be negotiating on behalf of
local landowners with the NRA as the state prepares to buy their
lands to facilitate the road building programme from Clonee to
Kells. Millions of pounds will be paid to landowners by the NRA
and as Mr. Potterton and Mr. Dempsey will be representing
landowners their firm will be a benefactor of negotiations.

At present there are several tribunals is situ inquiring into the
relationship between big business and politics. It is important
that appointments by goverment compliment the work of the
tribunals. In this contex and in the interest of clarity and
transparency, I ask that Minister Dempsey immediately reconsider
his decision to appoint a member of a firm, partly owned by his
brother, to such a sensitive position at it could be perceived as
a ``conflict of interest''.